"I only get one life and I will not let Fibromyalgia take the joy from my living it."

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Moms with Fibromyalgia: Solutions for Birth to 6 months Old

In the last six months I have been using products to make motherhood a little easier. Most people look at me and think "She just has to have everything, doesn't she?" I know this because some people actually voice this out loud. It's not about having things. It's about having Fibromyalgia. These products make being a mom easier which keep me healthier which means I can spend more time, and more quality time, with my babies. The following are products that I have been using and recommend for the mom with Fibro who needs that little extra help to make life easier. Because we should be allowed to have children too. These products making that easier. They are listed in no particular order.

Baby Trend Snap N Go Infant Car Seat Carrier Stroller

There are different brands of stroller frames. The basic idea is that you can take your child's car seat out of the car and put it in the stroller frame instead of an entire stroller. You therefore cut down the amount of weight you are pulling out of your car each time you get your stroller in and out of the car. I used this even just to get the baby from the front door to the car so I didn't have to carry the heavy car seat. Also because of the basket I was able to carry my diaper bag, purse and everything else in one trip. My neighbors probably think I'm crazy using a stroller to get my child in from the car, but who cares. They don't have my back. I chose this brand because the front wheels swivel. Some of the brands' front wheels do not swivel which means that you have to push down on to the handlebar to lift the front wheels to turn the thing. It has two cup holders on the parent tray and a compartment with a lid where I kept sanitizing wipes and keys. This stroller is super light weight and takes up very little space when folded. When we had both boys I used the double version of it, which took up no more space than the single version. Waiters were amazed to see us fold that double stroller up into the corner! Not all car seats "click" into it. But it comes with seat belts that fasten across them as well. There are little bars that you adjust to size the stroller when you are assembling it, which I did the double stroller all by myself, thank you very much. You can purchase it at Babies 'R Us. I bought my single one at a resale shop.

The Mommy Hook

Start accessorizing that stroller now. Your favorite friend will be The Mommy Hook. I keep it hooked onto my stroller to carry my purse because I get into it way to often to keep it in the basket. Then when we get to a store I hook it to the handle of the grocery cart. Back to the stroller with purse on it and a few extra bags in tow. It has a padded handle so that you can carry a bunch of bags into the house at once or a bunch of diaper bags if you are blessed with that many kiddos still in diapers. A little trick - I keep the little end on the handle of the stroller with the fat end down. That way the opening end is easier to access my purse straps. You can purchase at Target or Babies 'R Us.

Itzbeen Baby Care Timer

For years I've listened to women complain to me about mommy brain while I, some what silently, suffered from fibro fog. Now when they notice something they say, "Oh you have mommy brain." I think, "Uh, no, I have Fibro Mommy Foggy Brain." It was bad before the baby, now it's . . . what was I talking about? Anyway, this timer will help you keep up with with the baby was last changed, fed, how long they've been awake or asleep. There is a button that you can use for whatever you want. We used it for when he last had his medicine. You can also set each task to remind you to do something at a certain time. Quito needed to eat every two hours. The timer will sound an alarm. Or if you want to silence it, the buttons will flash red when it's time to do that task. Push the button and it automatically starts counting up again. It will clip on to you. There is a lock feature so you can't accidentally push the buttons and mess up your whole schedule. There is a feature for moms who are breast feeding that will remind you which side you fed on last. I know lots of people just say "Well he ate at 2, so now he eats at 4." Well, when you've been feeding every two hours, twenty-four hours a day for two months, it all runs together. Time means nothing anymore. This little timer was a God-send. It allowed me to put away the little pen and paper and relax a little. I was able to even close my eyes knowing that it would wake me when it was time. Now I will say that I let my husband do all the initial set up for the times, but once we got going he taught me how to use it and I got the hang of it. It really isn't difficult. It's just that I have, ya know, Fibro Mommy Foggy Brain.

Boppy Infant Feeding and Support Pillow

I've mentioned this before. I've been using it for years as a support for my arms and shoulders. I used it in the nursery for years to feed babies and now I've used it with my own. It wraps around your waist and the baby lays on it while you nurse or bottle feed so that you don't have to support the baby's weight. It's a life saver. And it will grow with the baby. As you can see from the picture the baby can lay on it to play with toys overhead. They can lay on their belly with it under their arm pits for tummy time strengthening. When they are learning to sit you can put it around them for support and if they start to tumble it will catch them and ease their fall. They can be purchase with out without the cover. Extra covers can be purchased to have some clean ones on hand. I also bought a waterproof protective cover to keep on mine. I actually have one for the living room and one for the nursery. They are available at Babies 'R Us, Target, most maternity stores, online. Prices vary greatly so shop around. Boppy makes lots of great products.

Shout Stain Remover 172 fl. oz

Any baby is going to make stains. On himself. On you. On anything that moves or doesn't move. I have found that Shout is the best stain remover. I use it liberally. I spray just before putting in the wash. I discovered that if you spray and leave in the hamper then the dyes from the clothes will bleed onto each other. As with many things that I do which require wrist muscles, the squeezing action can cause some pain. Especially when you add the weight of the bottle that I'm having to hold. However, at Sam's Club, I found this gigantic bottle of Shout with a long tube and then a trigger on the end. You can leave the big bottle setting on top of your washer or shelf and just run the tubing down to your basket and hold the gun, point and shoot. SOOOOOO MUCH EASIER!!!! I will never buy shout in a small bottle again.

Summer Infant Tummy Comfort Seat

If your newborn has reflux and has to sit up after feeding, this is your life saver. With Quito he had to eat every two hours for the first four months. It took him 45 minutes to eat. Then he had to sit up for 45 minutes. So before we had this that meant after prepping a bottle, feeding him, and sitting up with him for 45 minutes, I only had 15-20 to sleep and do whatever else I needed to do in my life like eat, shower or empty my bladder. This is similar to a bouncey seat but doesn't bounce causing them to spit up. It holds them at an incline with a 5 point harness. It has a vibrator with a timer. The cover comes off and is washable. The entire thing folds up small for travel. And best of all, it fit in our bassinet so I could put him right back into bed after eating and I could go to sleep. He actually slept in this until he was seven months old. This literally changed our lives.

Select Kid's Booster Pads

There will come a time when your baby, and you, could sleep through the night if only he or she did not need their diaper changed. Here is the answer. These are booster pads. It's just an insert that you put in their diaper before putting them to bed. You'll be amazed at how much they hold and how well you sleep. Another wonderful advantage beside getting rest is that without their diapers leaking in the night that means less changing of the cribs sheets which is difficult and painful on our backs. You can order these on Babies 'R Us website. I suggest ordering them by the 180 count. If during you're bedtime routine you find that you've run out of these, you will be thoroughly ticked off.

I'm sure there are other helpful things that I've been using, but I just can't remember right now. I will have to add them later.

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About This Blog

I have Fibromyalgia. Do you know what that is? Fibromyalgia (pronounced fy-bro-my-AL-ja) is a common and complex chronic pain disorder that affects people physically, mentally and socially. It is characterized by chronic widespread pain, multiple tender points, abnormal pain processing, sleep disturbances, fatigue and often psychological distress. At least that's what the experts say. But Fibro is different for everyone. I know we are all hurting and every day is hard. What I want is a place to ask questions, get opinions and answers. If you need to described your symptoms or struggles in order to ask questions or to share your solutions, that's great. But let's not just post about how miserable we are. I want to be part of a group that shares this together, but with a positive outlook. Let's learn how to live with this, survive it, be cured from it. I only get one life and I will not let Fibromyalgia take the joy from my living it.

***WARNING:***

content is personal and, as Fibromyalgia is a medical condition, may be graphic in nature.

ABOUT ME

I am 36 years old and live in Texas with my husband, currently two foster babies and two dogs. After two years of refusing to let my doctor diagnose me with Fibromyalgia I was finally and officially diagnosed in the fall of 2008. Looking back I believe I have probably had Fibro since about 2001. Although everyone's case is different I always felt that mine was exceptionally so. After sharing this blog and interacting with others on Facebook I have found that is not the case. I have the pain normally associated with FM however not to the debilitating levels that many of you suffer. I suffer mostly from an extreme sensitivity to external stimuli, i.e. sounds, smells, light, movement, changes in temperature resulting in severe nausea, vertigo and migraines. Before my diagnosis people would often ask me if I was pregnant and my reply would be, "if so I've been pregnant for six years."